The importance of maintaining proper gingival and periodontal health has been well established. The factors normally evaluated in determining the heath of a patient's periodontium are the following:
(1) gingival tone, texture and consistency; PA0 (2) gingival attachment as measured in the sulcus (6 reference points about each tooth) with a calibrated periodontal probe; PA0 (3) gingival enlargement; PA0 (4) gingival bleeding when provoked by instrumentation (amount and length of time of bleeding); PA0 (5) the presence of chronic destructive periodontal disease which, if advanced, will threaten loss of dentition, i.e. severe bone loss, tooth mobility, deep pocket formation, bleeding, etc.; PA0 (6) the presence of pain or discomfort to the patient.
Treatment of the foregoing may comprise regular and periodic massaging of the gingivae, tooth brushing and rinsing of the mouth on a regular basis, deep scaling and curettage procedures performed by dentists, bacterial control and in extreme cases, surgical procedures may become necessary.
In accordance with the present invention, it has been found that the health of gingival and periodontal tissues may be effectively maintained and/or improved by the application to said tissues of an agent, the essential ingredient of which is potassium nitrate. the beneficial effects of potassium nitrate as a treatment for certain specific oral problems have heretofore been well documented, note applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,006 dated Jan. 28, 1975; applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,750 dated Mar. 4, 1980; and applicant's co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 126,433, filed Mar. 3, 1980 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,608. However, the use of potassiun nitrate as the active ingredient in an agent for treating gingival and periodontal tissues has not heretofore been known and actually forms the basic and salient concept of the present invention.